In 2010, the owners sold the brand name – not the company – to Mars Drinks. During this time, the cafes and wholesale business remained owned by Paul Miller and brothers Ward and Lincoln Fowler and continued to operate independently.

After a three-year relationship with Mars Drinks, the Milwaukee-based coffee company struck an agreement with Mars to sell its name, intellectual property, consulting sessions and general knowledge / insight into the industry.

In exchange, Alterra received enough resources to expand – under a different name – and the Bay View, Madison, Wauwatosa and Third Ward Colectivo Cafes were made possible.

At first, customers had myriad opinions on the new name, but after 24 months, Scott Schwebel, director of marketing for Colectivo, says the "new" name has been embraced by customers.

"We are still the same organization, trying to do our best work each day. The Alterra name will always be a part of our history but I think Colectivo has started to roll off the tongue for many without much thought. I know I don't think twice about it anymore," he says.

What about you? Still call it "Alterra" or has "Colectivo" finally stuck?

Two years ago, Alana Wooldridge was living in New Orleans and she found a neglected pitbull with a zip tie around his neck under a bridge in the city’s Ninth Ward. She fell in love with the dog at first sight, freed him, named him Fenrir (aka "Fen") and has been his loving caregiver ever since.

In 2013, Wooldridge and Fen moved to Milwaukee – first Downtown and later to the Harambee neighborhood.

Last week – on Tuesday, July 21 – Wooldridge returned from work and took Fen on his usual early evening walk around 4:45 p.m. After the walk, she went into the house to get him a bowl of water, leaving Fen in her fenced-in backyard.

"I left him for no more than a minute, but when I came back outside, he was already gone," she says.

Wooldridge believes he was removed from the backyard and has searched tirelessly for Fenrir. She has contacted Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control (MADACC), the humane society and the police department. She posted daily on social media and hung 275 fliers around the city.

However, it’s been six days since the disappearance and she does not have a single lead.

"It’s getting disheartening," says Wooldridge.

Fenrir is a 72-pound, dark-gray pitbull. He has a large white spot on his chest and smaller white spots on his feet. His ears and tail are unclipped. He is neutered and has patches of missing hair on his rear from a recent bout of ringworm for which he was receiving medication at the time of his disappearance.

"Not only does he need his ringworm medication, but he has stomach allergies and is prone to hives," says Wooldridge.

Wooldridge, who works full time as a barista in Downtown Milwaukee, is offering a $500 reward for his return. She created a fundraising page via GoFundMe to raise the reward money and for follow-up medical attention Fen will need upon his return.

"He is one of the most loving dogs I have ever met," says Wooldridge. "Even at 72 pounds, he has to get into the recliner with me. He is so very innocent …

It’s been a slippery slope, at times, for Slide the City – a traveling, 1,000-foot "slip ’n' slide" that was installed on the slope of Highland Avenue between 6th and 10th Streets for today only.

Early reviews of the Slide the City events reported long lines requiring up to three-hour waits and a dangerous lack of drinking water. Numerous other locations – including Racine – cancelled due to lack of ticket sales.

However, according to the Slide the City website, the Milwaukee event was sold out – as were events in four other cities – O’Fallon, Mo., Decatur, Ga., Oklahoma City. and Sylvan Lake, Alberta – that hosted the event today, too.

The Decatur event, however, was cut short because of a broken water main and will be rescheduled.

According to organizers, after early negative responses, practices were tweaked to improve Slide the City. In Milwaukee, they claimed to sell fewer tickets and assign specific time waves for sliders in order to spread out the crowd.

Ticket prices were $55 for the Super Slider / unlimited passes, $35 for three slides and $20 for a single slide.

By 2 p.m. however, lines were extraordinarily long – about two city blocks – and the wait time was at least an hour. However, spirits were high and people seemed to be patient and enjoying themselves.

Overall, as of 3 p.m. anyway, the event flowed pretty smoothly. Lines were long, but the number of working volunteers both on the slide and around it kept people moving and reasonably safe. I witnessed a couple of "pile ups" on the slide and people were instructed to jump out of the slide area immediately. They then got back on the slide with more distance between them.

In places, the slide seemed a little deflated, but it was still fast and fun. Actually, it was faster than I expected. My sons, who wore the GoPro on their heads for the video below, were pleasantly surprised by the speed, as well.

Riders brought their own tubes or bought them on site, and could go do…

The OnMilwaukee.com Summer Festivals Guide is presented by Pick 'n Save, Where Wisconsin Saves on Groceries. Pick 'n Save is Wisconsin proud, and excited to help promote and feed the great Milwaukee summer that includes festivals and fun nearly every day. Click to save here!

Some go to the Renaissance Faire for the turkey legs, but some go for the buffet of breasts. It’s true: the amount of exposed cleavage at Ren Faires, including the Bristol Renaissance Faire, makes the Elizabethan excursion feel like a scene from "Wenches Gone Wild."

All of the women in these photos agreed to share their cleavage, so loosen thy codpiece or corset, take a swig from ye tankard and get a load of these Ren Faire racks.

About Molly Snyder

Molly Snyder has lived in Milwaukee her entire life. Prior to OnMilwaukee.com, she held iconic Milwaukee jobs, including popcorn popper / soda slinger at the now-defunct Prospect Cinemas, querant of the password at the door of the Safe House and the towel girl at the Downtown YMCA. Molly likes her job at OnMilwaukee.com the best and has been addicted to it since day one, now 13 years ago. Molly was the writer-in-residence at the Pfister Hotel from 2013-2014 and has won a couple of Ex Fabula storytelling slams.